Opposing California’s Assembly Bill 2098

“Opposing California’s Assembly Bill 2098,” Monterey Herald – April 23, 2022

Assembly Bill 2098, working through the California Legislature, threatens doctors with disciplinary action, including loss of license, if they dispense “misinformation” about COVID treatment. The language of the bill itself is vague about what constitutes “misinformation,” which makes the bill even more damaging. Doctors fearing censure are less likely to say anything that might put them at odds with government orthodoxy, even if the orthodoxy does not correspond to the latest science.

Is this a foolish concern? After all, if there is a well-established body of scientific knowledge, shouldn’t doctors adhere to it? Shouldn’t quacks be identified and punished?

There is no such body of knowledge. Government science (and policy) with respect to COVID is forever shifting. A year ago, for example, the COVID vaccine was promoted by the feds as a silver bullet for complete immune protection. Now many vaccinated people are getting COVID.

Mask wearing, the need for which the vaccine was going to eliminate, is back. Currently one or more boosters are suggested, but efficacy is debated even among public health authorities. Shouldn’t doctors have the responsibility, and the freedom of speech, to fearlessly discuss emerging treatment strategies with patients? Oppose AB 2098.

— Thomas F. Lee, Monterey